Moonlighting MPs earn more than ever from second jobs, despite ‘crackdown’

A year after the Owen Paterson scandal led to promises of stricter control, politicians have earned 5m from work on the side

MPs are making more than ever from second jobs despite promises from the government to clamp down on the practice, one year on from the Owen Paterson scandal, an Observer investigation has found.

Of the 129 MPs who made more than 2,000 from outside income between October 2021 and September 2022, 86 - including the former attorney general Geoffrey Cox - either earned more or the same amount than in the previous year.